The Island Meadow Trail is a lovely, shaded trail in American Fork Canyon. It was 101° when we entered the canyon and only 86° at the trailhead, so between the 15° temperature drop and the shade, we were able to hike this on a hot afternoon. We started at the Timpanooke Trailhead (green dot), but Google Maps (blue dot) will lead you to a parking space that would shorten the hike.
If you begin at Timpanooke, the trail immediately splits into three: Timpanooke-Chris Flat, Timpanooke, and Salamander Flat. Take Salamander Flat that heads slightly to the left. After a minute, this trail splits. Take the bridge to the left and follow that basically the whole way. After you are two thirds there will be some options to head off to the left, but stay on the trail heading straight. The trail will alternate between pines and aspens, both of which are beautiful and shady.
One of the highlights of this trail are all of the beautiful wild flowers.
This trail does have a few steeper sections, but the majority of the trail only has a very gentle incline. The destination is a beautiful meadow.
We saw a deer, but my picture isn’t great. There are shady sections around where you could have a picnic.
This hike is beautiful in the fall!
Other hikes from the same trailhead are Scout Falls and Julie Andrew’s Meadow.
Stats: Distance – 2.0 – 2.6 miles roundtrip depending on starting point
Approximate hiking time – 1-3 hours
Elevation gain – 475 feet
Difficulty – Moderate
Trail – well maintained trail of dirt and rocks
Bathrooms – At Timpanooke Trailhead
Seasons to hike – May-October
Permits needed – $6 day pass per vehicle or National Parks Pass
Pets allowed – Yes
Timpanooke Start:
Google Maps Start:
